TV is also preparing to bid farewell to thIS year. Unlike movies, whose success or failure is measured by their results at the box office, it is much harder to determine the most successful series in a given year. It is even more complicated taking into account that not everyone has access to every streaming platform and that many of these companies do not provide viewership data for their shows.
However, X (formerly Twitter) and other social networks help to compile the list of the most talked about series and shows of the year. The winner, without a doubt, is "The Last of Us," the adaptation of the popular video game that arrived from HBO Max in early 2023. It is not the only one that achieved great success among its viewers. These are the most popular shows from the year we are about to leave behind:
10. Final season of 'Riverdale' (The CW and Netflix)
The young adult series "Riverdale" said goodbye in 2023, generating much buzz throughout its seventh and final season, released on March 29. The CW series starring KJ Apa, Camila Mendes, Lily Reinhart, Cole Sprouse and Madeleine Petsch traveled back to the 1950s. The main characters had to do everything possible, without knowledge of their previous lives, to fix the problems that were arising at that time in an attempt to prove that they were worthy enough to save the small town.
After the end of the sixth season, Archie, Veronica, Betty, Jughead, Cheryl and the rest of the gang must discover how they ended up traveling 70 years into the past and how to return (and more importantly, if they want to return) to 2023. Currently, the series can be seen on Netflix.
9. 'Percy Jackson and The Olympians' (Disney Plus)
Thirteen years after the first film adaptation of the Percy Jackson saga came out, Disney Plus decided to take a risk and bring a series based on that same saga but a bit more similar to the original novels. Thus arrived "Percy Jackson and The Olympians," a series that premiered on the streaming platform on Dec. 20 and became an instant hit.
The eight episodes that make up the first season are based on the first novel in the saga by Rick Riordan. The series tells the story of Percy Jackson (Walker Scobell), a 12-year-old modern demigod who has just assumed his newly discovered divine powers when the god of the sky, Zeus, accuses him of having stolen his master lightning bolt. With the help of his friends, Grover (Aryan Simhadri) and Annabeth (Leah Sava Jeffries), Percy must embark on the adventure of a lifetime to find him and restore order to Olympus.
8. Return of 'Futurama' (Star+)
If there is a series that Matt Groening is known for, it is "The Simpsons." However, few people know that the creator of TV’s favorite yellow family also created another beloved series with a very hasty ending: "Futurama."
The show returned on July 24 of this year thanks to Star+ with its 11th season, awakening the fans of this animated series. Week after week, the show caused a flurry on social media. Fans returned to Planet Express, the galactic transportation company where Leela, Bender and Fry work alongside Professor Hubert J. Fansworth, Dr. John A. Zoidberg, Amy Wong and Hermes Conrad, among many others.
7. Final season of 'The Crown' (Netflix)
Another series that said goodbye in 2023 was "The Crown." The show based on historical events in the life of Queen Elizabeth II had a difficult challenge after a successful fifth season focused on Princess Diana of Wales. However, the sixth installment, released on Nov. 16, was able to strike a good balance.
The first few episodes focused on the final days of the Princess of Wales, while the second part, which arrived on Netflix a month later, on Dec. 14, alternately told the story of the youth of Princes William and Harry without the presence of their mother while narrating the life of the monarch of England from 1997 until 2002, when Elizabeth II celebrated her jubilee.
"The Crown" starred Imelda Staunton as Queen Elizabeth II in the sixth season. The cast is completed by Jonathan Pryce (Philip II of Edinburgh), Lesley Manville as Princess Margaret, Elizabeth Debicki (Lady Di) and Dominic West, who once again played Prince Charles, as he already did during the fifth season.
6. 'Succession' finale (HBO Max)
The ending this year that perhaps had the most people talking was "Succession." The American drama created by Jesse Armstrong and with Will Ferrell and Adam McKay as executive producers said goodbye on May 28 of this year with its fourth and final season, featuring an ending that many critics described as "perfect" and "brutal."
This brought to an end to the story of the Roy family, the owners of the global media and entertainment giant Waystar RoyCo, and their fight for control of the company amid the uncertainty that their father’s health aroused in many members of the family.
The series, starring Brian Cox, Jeremy Strong, Kieran Culkin, Sarah Snook, Matthew Macfadyen, Nicholas Braun, Alan Ruck and Hiam Abbass, will go down in television history for its finale, which many did not understand, as well as for being one of the series with the most nominations in the next Golden Globes, with a total of nine.
5. Second season of 'The Bear' (Disney Plus)
Haute cuisine has opened a space for itself on the small screen in 2022 thanks to "The Bear" and, in 2023, the FX series established itself as one of the most successful shows on the platform with the premiere of its second season on June 22, 2023. It also became one of the most talked about fictions on social media this year.
"The Bear" tells the story of Carmy Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White), a young fine dining chef. However, his life takes a turn when he returns home to Chicago to run his family's Italian beef sandwich shop, a job that he is forced to accept after his brother's suicide. Upon arriving, he finds a store on the brink of collapse and has to fight to save it. This comes as he is trying to adapt to a team that, little by little, becomes part of his family.
The cast of this series, already renewed for a third season, features Jeremy Allen White as Carmy as well as Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Ayo Ederibiri, Lionel Boyce, Liza Colón-Zayas, Abby Elliott and Matty Matheson who play, respectively, Richie, Sydney, Marcus, Tina, Natalie and Fak.
4. 'Gen V' (Amazon Prime Video)
Amazon Prime Video premiered the long-awaited spin-off of "The Boys," "Gen V," on Sept. 29, 2023. Its premiere was a success for the platform, thus bolstering the popularity of this superhero universe that shows that these caped crusaders are not as good as they seem.
This is how we learned about Godolkin University, a parody of Xavier's School for Gifted Young People from Marvel's X-Men comics. Most importantly, the show introduced audiences to a group of young superheroes, who call themselves "supes," as they fight every day to have a place on the Vought International team called The Seven.
3. 'Ahsoka' (Disney Plus)
Rosario Dawson had, in 2023, the great challenge of putting herself in the shoes of the only Padawan that Anakin Skywalker trained during his time as a Jedi Master. The character, whom audiences met in the animated series "Clone Wars," earned her own series, which premiered on Aug. 22 on Disney Plus.
"Ahsoka" takes place after "The Mandalorian" and that tells how the ex-Jedi embarks on an adventure with Sabine Wren in search of Ezra Bridger, Sabine's partner, who is featured in another Star Wars animated series, "Star Wars Rebels."
The cast of "Ahsoka" features Hayden Christensen reprising the role of Anakin Skywalker, now known as Darth Vader; Natasha Liu Bordizzo as Sabine Wren and Eman Esfandi as Ezra Bridger. Ivanna Sakhno and Mary Elizabeth Winstead were also cast as Shin Hati and Hera Syndulla, and Ray Stevenson was cast as Baylan Skoll. Closing the cast of the series is Lars Mikkelsen, who took on the role of the fearsome Grand Admiral Thrawn.
"Ahsoka" was not the only Star Wars story to hit the small screen in 2023. The third season of "The Mandalorian" also deserves mention, which also landed on Disney Plus on March 1, 2023. In this new installment, beloved characters such as Din Djarin, played by Pedro Pascal, and the adorable Grogu returned to continue telling their adventures ahead of the possible end to their stories, announced soon in the form of a feature film.
2. 'One Piece' (Netflix)
Anime fans were also lucky in 2023. Without a doubt, one of the most anticipated series, if not the most, was the live-action version of "One Piece" that finally landed on Netflix on Aug. 31, 2023, after months of anticipation from fans of the legendary animated series.
Anime lovers got to experience the live-action version of the manga that Eichirō Oda created in 1997 and which continues to be created with new installments. During its first season, featuring eight episodes, the show followed the adventures of the Straw Hat Pirates in search of the "One Piece," a legendary treasure that will make its captain, Monkey D. Luffy (played by Mexican actor Iñaki Godoy), the "Pirate King."
But the Marines are after their ship, and they are not the only crew searching for the "One Piece." Armed with their skills and an unbreakable friendship, the Straw Hat Pirates are ready for the journey and even more ready to fight together for their dreams.
The cast of "One Piece" is made up of Emily Rudd, Mackenyu, Jacob Gibson and Taz Skylar as Nami, Roronoa Zoro, Usopp and Sanji, the young pirates who will accompany Luffy as part of his crew. Completing the cast are Vincent Regan, Jeff Ward and Morgan Davies who play, respectively, Monkey D. Garp, Buggy and Koby.
1. 'The Last of Us' (HBO Max)
The show that captivated the attention of viewers perhaps more than any was also one of the first to be released in early 2023. "The Last of Us," the television adaptation of the legendary video game, arrived on HBO Max on Jan. 15 of this year and, since its premiere, it became one of the most talked about series. In fact, it managed to become the second best HBO Max premiere of the last decade, trailing only "Boardwalk Empire," by bringing in 4.7 million viewers around the world during its debut.
The zombie fiction is a raw tale of survival and friendship in a post-apocalyptic world that turned millions of people into the living dead after being exposed to a strange fungus. However, Ellie (Bella Ramsey) turns out to be immune to the bacteria, and Joel (Pedro Pascal) must lead her to a safe place where she can hopefully help develop a vaccine.
The cast was completed by Nico Parker in the role of Sarah; Gabriel Luna as Joel's brother Tommy; Jeffrey Pierce plays Perry; Murray Bartlett and Con O'Neill play two survivors relevant to the plot. Also, Storm Reid is Riley; Anna Torv plays Tess; and, Nick Offerman plays Bill, while Lamar Johnson and Keivonn Woodward are brothers Sam and Henry, respectively. Along with them, Merle Dandridge returned to voice the leader of the fireflies as she did in the video game.
